Smartlook review

Smartlook is a hosted analytics service for websites and mobile apps, not a self-hosted server, command-line tool or analytics library. Teams use its platform to inspect session recordings, define events, build funnels, view heatmaps and behavior flows, and review recordings associated with crashes. That puts Smartlook alongside product analytics and digital experience monitoring in a stack: it captures user behavior, then provides views for investigating patterns and individual sessions.

The service combines event-based analysis with replay. Events can measure how often users perform important actions and filter recordings; funnels help locate recordings associated with drop-offs. The vendor says the standalone Smartlook platform will be decommissioned on September 30, 2027, with some tools continuing in Digital Experience Analytics within Splunk Observability Cloud. That product is not an automatic continuation of a Smartlook subscription, so treat Smartlook as a short-term service rather than a durable analytics dependency.

The integration surface identified by Smartlook is its APIs. The vendor says customers can use Smartlook APIs to create a copy of their data before end of life; its pricing information also lists a REST API as an Enterprise add-on and API recording filters as a paid add-on. The homepage describes events and recordings as product features, but does not give an implementation recipe or name a language-specific SDK. Confirm supported SDKs and event-instrumentation options in the current vendor docs before committing to an integration.

The vendor says online support will continue through August 31, 2027, with self-support documentation available until the platform is decommissioned on September 30, 2027. No CLI, webhook or plugin integration is identified on the vendor's site. For a production build, establish how events are named and maintained, which API access your plan includes, and how you will export data before paid access ends. The REST API is not included as a standard feature in the listed Free or Pro plans.

The listed Free plan costs $0 per month and includes 3,000 sessions monthly, one-month data retention, 10 event definitions, two funnels, 10 heatmaps, and web and mobile support. A 30-day free trial is also listed. The Pro (Business) plan starts at $55 per month for 5,000 sessions, with three-month retention, 20 event definitions, five funnels, 30 heatmaps and up to 10 team members. Enterprise starts at 50,000 sessions; pricing is custom, with 40 events, 10 funnels, 50 heatmaps, unlimited team members and projects, and custom retention.

These prices need a major qualification for new buyers: Smartlook says sales of new paid plans ended May 31, 2026, and renewals and expansions ended August 31, 2026. The pricing snapshot lists monthly prices, but annual-billing prices are not published. Add-ons include extra events, funnels and heatmaps, extended retention, API recording filters and a session vault; their prices are not published. Existing customers should confirm plan terms and export data before paid access ends.

Smartlook is a hosted service. The vendor does not list a self-hosted edition or an open-source license, so teams should treat it as proprietary SaaS rather than a component they can run inside their own infrastructure. That limits control over deployment and leaves availability and retention dependent on Smartlook’s service and plan terms.

There is an export route: Smartlook says customers can create a copy of their data using its APIs before end of life and recommends exporting before paid subscriptions expire, no later than August 31, 2027. Splunk will not migrate historical Smartlook data into Digital Experience Analytics. After August 31, 2027, the platform is to remain available in free mode for access to some historical data until full deactivation and deletion on September 30, 2027. Treat export as a migration project, not a guaranteed turnkey transfer.

The plan limits make session volume, retention, event definitions, funnels, heatmaps and team size the first production checks. Enterprise adds custom retention and unlimited team members and projects; listed add-ons cover expanded analysis and recording filters. Smartlook does not publish API rate limits in the information available here, so confirm quotas, reliability commitments, data residency, access controls and any privacy requirements with the vendor before relying on it. SSO/SAML is listed as an Enterprise add-on.

The shutdown is the largest operational risk. Paid subscriptions end no later than August 31, 2027, and all remaining data is scheduled for deletion when the platform is decommissioned on September 30, 2027. Build an export and migration plan before putting Smartlook into a critical workflow. A Reddit commenter also flags session recording as privacy-sensitive; teams should review consent, masking and retention requirements for their own users. In another thread, a user looking for a self-hosted option asked specifically for an alternative deployment model.